


I’ll take care of you

by Canadian_girl2000



Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I could have made this so angsty but I didn't, Jason Todd is a good brother, Poor Dick, Soft Ending, Whumptober, Whumptober 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29622765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Canadian_girl2000/pseuds/Canadian_girl2000
Summary: Jason thought back to the terrible weather outside and let out a curse. The idiot had probably gotten himself sick. No matter how many times people told Dick his costume wasn’t great for cold weather or rain, he continued to ignore them.or: Jason takes care of his sick older brother.A Tumblr request combined with whumptober.Whump"tober" day 28: Severe illnessWhump"tober day 30: Caregiver
Relationships: Dick Grayson & Jason Todd
Series: Whumptober 2020 [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946773
Comments: 4
Kudos: 102





	I’ll take care of you

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on Tumblr asked: Could you do 17 (Everything hurts) for Dick being super sick with caretaker Jason?
> 
> I realized that there were also whumptober prompts for ‘severe illness’ and ‘caregiver’, so three birds with one stone! 
> 
> Sorry this is so late anon. I hope you enjoy it!

The past week had been absolutely hectic. Most of the bats were out of town, so the responsibility of watching over Gotham had fallen to Jason, Dick, Barbara and Stephanie. Bruce was on a business trip in Europe, and he had brought Alfred and Damian with him. Tim was away on a mission with the Titans and Cass was… well, Jason wasn’t really sure where she was, but she wasn’t in Gotham.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, it had rained practically every single day. A gross, freezing rain that promised to make you sick if you weren’t careful. The only good thing about the rain was that it had turned many criminals away from the outdoors, and most of Gotham's population was safely hidden away in their respective homes, probably enjoying a nice cup of tea by a warm fire while he was out in the rain freezing his ass off. He was allowed to be jealous. If Bruce had been in town, he would have stayed home as well and told the Bat to fuck off.

But sadly, that was not the case. Bruce was definitely going to owe him one though, regardless if he got sick or not after this crappy week was over.

It was nearing 3 am, which meant he could finally get out of this terrible weather. A quick look at his surroundings revealed that he was much closer to Dick’s apartment than he was to his. With a small shrug, he took off towards his older brother’s place.

He hadn’t spoken to Dick in a day or so, but he knew his brother wouldn’t deny him shelter. Dick had stayed over at his earlier in the week anywho, so he technically owed Jason. 

He slipped in the apartment through the unlocked window. Bruce had yelled at Dick when he found out he left his window in the living room unlocked all the time. Dick had argued that it was so his siblings could always get in without any problem if they were in trouble or something. Dick had an alarm in place though, so if someone did go in through the window, he would immediately be notified.

The lights in the apartment were off, but Jason had broken into it enough times that he was able to navigate it in the dark. He went to the small kitchen and rummaged through his brother’s fridge for something to eat. He grabbed a tupperware of leftover pasta and stuck it into the microwave before getting himself a glass of water. As his food warmed up, he pulled off his helmet and jacked, placing them on the small island in the kitchen. He was glad Dick didn’t particularly care about shoes in his apartment, because he had definitely dragged in some water and dirt. He tossed his boots in the general vicinity of the apartment door and they landed with a loud ‘thud’. 

He was suddenly hit by how bizarre it was that Dick hadn’t come out to see him yet. Even if he had been sleeping, the alarm would have woken him up and if not that, the noise from throwing his boots definitely would have. 

He padded over to Dick’s room and knocked softly. When he received no answer, he scoffed. His brother probably wasn’t home yet. He needed a change of clothes, so he had an excuse for going in.

He opened the door and paused when he saw the lump that was definitely his brother on the bed, buried under layers of blankets. He stared at the lump and frowned when it failed to acknowledge his presence. 

Ignoring the uneasy feeling in his gut, he took out his spare set of clothes and turned to leave. As he closed the door, the lump let out a whimper.

“Dick?” he asked, putting his clothes on the dresser and flicked on the lights. As he walked over to the side of the bed, Jason noted how flushed Dick’s skin was. His brother let out another whimper, his face contorting in a pained grimace.

Jason thought back to the terrible weather outside and let out a curse. The idiot had probably gotten himself sick. No matter how many times people told Dick his costume wasn’t great for cold weather or rain, he continued to ignore them. 

He placed the back of his hand to Dick’s forehead and frowned when he felt how hot and clammy his brother was. In the kitchen, the microwave beeped. He ignored it.

“Wake up Dickie, I need to check your temperature properly.” He shook Dick lightly. It took a few minutes, but eventually glassy eyes peered back at him.

“Jas’n?” Dick slurred. He looked around blearily and shivered.

“I gotta check your temperature, okay? I’ll be right back, so stay awake.” He went back to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and took a second to look longingly at his food in the microwave before going to the bathroom to grab the thermometer. 

He helped Dick sit up and handed him the glass of water. When it became evident that Dick was shaking too hard to manage on his own, he helped his brother drink some of the water. When Dick pushed the glass away, he placed it on the nightstand.

“That’s enough for now, but you’ll need to finish it later, alright? Don’t want you to get dehydrated.” He lightly turned Dick’s head so he could use the thermometer. He cursed under his breath when he saw the reading. 103 degrees. That was bad, but thankfully not bad enough to warrant a hospital visit. As long as he managed to get Dick’s temperature down everything would be fine. Gah! Why was Alfred out of town when you needed him?

He made a quick mental list of things he would need and got up. He looked at Dick who had closed his eyes and was slowly dozing off.

“I’ll be right back. Just gotta get some a few things, okay Dickiebird?” Even though he knew he wouldn’t get a response, it was still disconcerting not to get one from his usually talkative brother. 

He quickly went back to the kitchen. He grabbed a straw, a mixing bowl, which he then filled with cool water and a hand towel. On his way back to Dick’s room, he stopped by the bathroom in hopes of finding something that would help. He managed to find some Ibuprofen in the cabinet, so he snagged that as well.

He placed all the stuff on the nightstand and shook his brother awake once more. “I’ve got some Ibuprofen for you to take,” he said, helping his brother sit up a little. Dick let out a low groan as he was moved. Jason held the cup with the straw up for him to drink, then pushed the pill against his brother's lips. He tilted Dick's head back a little to help him swallow, then held the glass up once more.

“Jay? Evry’thin hurts,” Dick mumbled, sliding back down under the covers. Jason let out another curse. He knew fevers were the absolute worst.

“It’s okay, just get lots of sleep and everything will be alright.” He grabbed the bowl and the towel and made his way to the other side of the bed. He snatched one of the books that were on Dick’s dresser and sat down on the bed. He wet the towel and placed it on his brother’s forehead.

“Want me to read to you?” he asked, settling down next to Dick and placing the bowl on the floor.

His only response was a small hum. 

Dick drifted off almost immediately after he started reading but he kept going, knowing that his brother liked listening to him read and found it soothing (Dick had told him so a few months ago. Jason had been flattered and a little embarrassed). Every so often he would remove the towel and dip it in the water again, making sure it stayed cool.

Dick was going to be fine. He was going to make damn sure of it.

* * *

[My Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/canadian-girl2000)

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus: Jason eventually remembered his microwaved pasta and got up to warm it up again. After he changed clothes, he sat back on Dick's bed and ate while changing the towel every once in a while, before going back to reading.
> 
> Bonus bonus: When Dick is fully recovered, Jason berates him for not acknowledging that his suit isn't made for that kind of weather (...and for making him worry). He makes Dick promise to be more careful next time. As thanks, Dick makes Jason some homemade pasta sauce and a nice warm, un-microwaved, meal.  
> \-------
> 
> I have never been this sick, nor have I ever seen anyone be this sick, so I apologize if it's a little inaccurate. For non-Americans like me who get confused by Fahrenheit, 103 is about 39 degrees. Usually, if your fever is at 40 (104), you should go to a hospital, but 39 is still really bad.


End file.
